


Restart

by makkurataichou



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst?, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, based on art, soft?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 13:19:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10465959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makkurataichou/pseuds/makkurataichou
Summary: ‘Even if I lose myself as I am now…if I can be with you, Sorey, it’ll be enough for me.’





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a super-belated birthday present for [chim](https://twitter.com/Chimfucius) based on a comic from her zine!! Thanks for being my #1 enabler chim, and also for being such a great friend <3
> 
> Also a huge thanks to [nami](https://twitter.com/defragmentise) for looking over this and making sure it flowed alright! You're wonderful ;_;

Hundreds of years after Sorey’s sacrifice, Mikleo had a dream.

He stood atop a glassy surface, surrounded by a void of blue and white that stretched as far as the eye could see. Wisps of clouds floated above him, tracing the length of the sky in every possible direction and rippling with his every movement. In all his travels, Mikleo had never encountered a place such as this one, and he wondered how he had come to be here.

Then, far in the distance, he saw the figure of a small brown-haired boy clothed in the garb of an Elysian child.

_‘...Sorey?’_

The void pulsed along with Mikleo's thoughts. Slowly, hesitantly, he took a step forward. In that instant, time stood still. Only their clothes continued to move, still swaying in a non-existent breeze, along with Mikleo himself as he fought against his own body’s hesitation. He continued to walk for what felt like hours, days, _years_...until finally, he stood right behind the boy.

With a shaking hand, Mikleo reached forward and touched his shoulder. “Sorey…” he whispered in a voice more fragile than he had ever thought he could muster.

The child turned around, and brilliant emerald eyes stared up at him, just as wide and as curious as they had ever been. Mikleo hadn’t seen those eyes in over seven centuries; he found himself wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.

“...who...are you?” the boy asked.

In that moment, Mikleo felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.

“I-it's _me_ , Sorey,” he insisted, placing a hand on his chest. “It's Mikleo. Don't you remember me?”

Sorey tilted his head. “Mikleo? You don't look like Mikleo to me.”

Mikleo froze. Of course Sorey didn't recognize him. He had changed—his hair was longer, his shoulders were broader, and he wore the garb of a traveler so different from what he had worn as a child or a young seraph.

He kneeled before Sorey, looking him in the eye. “I may look different, but I'm still me,” he said, offering the boy a gentle smile. “I'm still your Mikleo.”

Sorey frowned. Then, he raised a small hand and brought it to Mikleo’s face, resting it against his cheek.

“My Mikleo’s never looked this sad, though,” he whispered, swiping his thumb across Mikleo's cheek as if to brush invisible tears away. “Why do you look so sad, mister? Did someone hurt you?”

Mikleo's smile faltered. “Something like that,” he replied, trying not to let his voice waver. “Someone important to me left me behind. But it was his choice, and it was _my_ choice to wait for him.”

“That's not fair,” Sorey said, a small pout tugging at his lips. “If you wanted to be with him so badly, you should've gone with him!”

“He—” Mikleo's voice cracked. “He went somewhere I couldn't follow.”

Sorey hummed in response, swaying on his feet. “Then, if he's that important to you, I'm sure he'll come back.” He smiled; a brilliant smile that seemed to light up the entire expanse. “You'll find him again, mister, I'm sure of it.”

Mikleo felt his chest grow tight. “I'm sure I already have,” he breathed, raising a gloved hand and ruffling Sorey's hair. “I hope...you find your Mikleo soon. He’s been waiting for you for a long time.”

“Ah! You're right!” Sorey clapped his hands over his mouth. “I promised him I'd see him again soon so we could go exploring together! I hope he hasn't forgotten…”

Mikleo shook his head. “He would never forget, Sorey,” he assured the boy. “Mikleo would wait forever for you, and you'd do the same, right?”

Sorey nodded. “Yup! So I just have to go tell him he doesn't have to wait anymore!” His smile grew soft and less childlike. “I'm home, Mikleo...you don't have to be alone anymore...that's what I'll tell him.”

He looked up at Mikleo, bright green meeting misty violet. “Thanks, mister, but I really have to go now. Maybe I'll see you again?”

Mikleo stood up to his full height. “Maybe,” he replied with a wistful smile, never faltering even as the boy grinned at him one last time before turning around and walking away.

Only once Sorey was long gone did he allow himself to break.

Mikleo sank to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold back the violent sobs that racked his entire body. He let out a cry of anguish as tears streamed down his face. In all his life, he had never felt so lost.

_‘Sorey didn’t recognize me...he didn’t know who I was.’_

Seven hundred years was a long time, even to a seraph. Mikleo had been through a lot on his own—he’d lost his other human friends to time, causing him to isolate himself from the other seraphim and travel alone for centuries. He had allowed himself to mature physically, and had gradually begun to focus his energy on exploring ruins and mastering his element. But with every passing year, a lingering sadness had continued to grow and consume him. He could hardly remember a time when sorrow did not travel beside him, and every single one of his happy memories traced back to his days with Sorey, faded but never lost to time.

How he longed to be with Sorey again. How he longed to return to those carefree days before they were Shepherd and Sub-Lord. How he wished he could go back to the hills of Elysia and lie beside his best friend on the grass, staring up at the sky with wide-eyed wonder.

But it was too late now. All of the wonder had left Mikleo’s world the moment Sorey had gone to sleep. He had lost his guiding light, and as a result he had become merely a shell of his former self. He had allowed himself to change so much that Sorey no longer wanted him as he was now. He only wanted _his_ Mikleo...a Mikleo who had been his voice of reason, his constant companion, his partner in all things.

A Mikleo who had been gone for centuries, never to return again.

Mikleo shakily got to his feet, casting off his gloves so he could rub at his tear-stained face. He used his staff to support himself until he was fully upright; then, he let it fall to the ground without a second thought.

_‘Sorey...I want to go back…’_

Taking in a deep breath, he began to run. A harsh wind tore at his clothes and hair, cutting through cloth and skin alike, but he refused to slow down.

_‘Even if I lose myself as I am now…if I can be with you, Sorey, it’ll be enough for me.’_

Time began to flow in reverse. The clouds surrounding Mikleo began to recede rapidly, pulling the colour from his surroundings and turning them a washed-out blue. But he did not stop. The razor-sharp breeze sliced through his hair, leaving behind short, pale locks that framed his face as they had so many years ago.

_‘All I want is a chance to start over with you.’_

He felt himself growing shorter and his strides growing longer, more purposeful. A renewed vigor filled his limbs as the capes were ripped from his shoulders, leaving behind only the two he had possessed in his youth. They extended behind him like the wings of a dragonfly, fluttering in a calmer breeze as he continued to dash through the void, faster and faster—

_‘I’ll become the person you want by your side, the person you need…’_

In a final tumultuous rush, the wind ripped off his wings. But he did not hesitate, reaching forward with an arm that had grown so much smaller, almost the size of a child’s now. He cast off the clothes that no longer fit, that weighed him down with the burden of the past that would now become his future. And in response, the void wrapped him in soft, familiar clothes that smelled like Elysia...like home.

_‘I’ll never leave you alone again. So please…’_

His vision grew blurry with tears as he saw the brown-haired figure again, surrounded by wisps of white and inky blue. The clouds encircled Sorey, showing Mikleo exactly where he needed to go, what he needed to do to prove himself worthy.

With a soft whimper, Mikleo threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Sorey from behind, burying his face in Sorey’s back.

“Don’t leave me behind, Sorey!” he sobbed, his tears soaking into the brown-haired boy’s shirt. “Please, don’t leave me again...I can’t live in a world without you, Sorey, I can’t—”

“M-Mikleo…”

The seraph pulled away as Sorey turned around, and their eyes met again. Mikleo’s face was red from the tears he had cried and subsequently scrubbed away, while Sorey’s was fresh and clean, his skin still kissed by the sun as it always had been. Yet, in his eyes, Mikleo saw the tears that he had kept inside, the tears he had refused to shed until he had found his other half again.

And now that they were reunited, Sorey’s shoulders finally sank and he wrapped his small arms around Mikleo, clutching him as tightly as he possibly could.

“I finally found you,” he managed to say as he wept into Mikleo’s shoulder. “I was searching for so long, Mikleo...I wanted to see you again…”

Mikleo placed a hand on Sorey’s back and the other behind his head, pulling him in closer. “We’re here, Sorey,” he whispered, biting back another sob. “We’re together again.”

“I’ll never leave you, Mikleo, I promise—!”

The seraph closed his eyes. “Me too, Sorey. My home is always here, by your side.”

Above them, the clouds parted and revealed sunlight, bathing the void in a warm, yellow glow. The boys held onto each other tightly, the unspoken bond between them now stronger than ever.

_‘I’ll never let go.’_

* * *

Hundreds of years after Sorey’s sacrifice, Sorey woke up.

Immediately, he felt a weight on his lap, and glanced down to find a sea of white-blue hair pooled against his chest. On instinct, he lifted a hand and ran his fingers through it, marveling at how soft it felt against his skin. There was much more of it than he remembered, and Sorey for the life of him couldn't quite figure out _why_ that was so unusual...but the thought was swiftly pushed away when the person lying on top of him shifted in their sleep.

“Mm...five more minutes…” they groaned softly, their voice muffled in Sorey’s shirt. Unable to resist, Sorey let out a laugh—that quiet grumble was unmistakable.

“Good morning, Mikleo,” he whispered, finding it impossible to keep the smile out of his voice.

At that, the seraph suddenly jolted upright. Wide violet eyes met curious green for the first time in centuries, and Sorey didn't know if it was the sudden release of weight on his chest or Mikleo’s awestruck gaze that took his breath away.

“Sorey…” Mikleo breathed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re finally awake.”

He reached forward, cupping Sorey’s face in his hands, carefully running trembling fingertips over Sorey’s skin as though he couldn’t believe this was real. Sorey closed his eyes and leaned into the touch; Mikleo’s cool fingers were soothing against his cheeks.

“Sorey,” Mikleo repeated, still sounding shocked. “You said my name...do you remember me? Do you know who I am?”

“Of course I know you, Mikleo,” he replied, confused. “Why wouldn't I?”

The seraph inhaled sharply at the sound of his name in Sorey’s voice and pulled his hands away. “You…I…” he began, his eyes growing watery. “I was so scared...I didn’t think you’d recognize me—”

Sorey reached forward and placed a hand against Mikleo’s cheek, cutting him off. He wiped away the tear that had begun to trail its way down Mikleo's face; then, he leaned in to place a soft kiss against the seraph’s forehead.

“You’re Mikleo,” he murmured, lips brushing against skin. “I’d recognize you anywhere...even with all this hair!” He took a lock in his hand and let it fall through his fingers slowly, admiring the way Mikleo’s cheeks turned pink at the gesture. “How did it get this long, anyway?”

“Sorey, you...” He shook his head. “Do you realize it’s been seven hundred years?”

“Wha—” Sorey’s eyes grew wide, and he suddenly became aware of the dull ache in his unused limbs. Mikleo’s hair, the hesitation in his gestures, the mixture of hope and fear swirling in his eyes...it all made sense now.

_‘All this time...all these years, Mikleo was waiting for me.’_

“Well, I…” He chewed on his lower lip, not quite sure how to react. “At least I got to wake up to a great view!”

“S-Sorey!” Mikleo exclaimed, his face turning even redder. “This...this isn’t the time to say things like that!”

“What?” Sorey tilted his head. “I’m being completely honest! Because you’re here it doesn't feel that long at all!”

Mikleo’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t think you’d be this...this _relaxed!_ ” he shot back. “All this time...I was so worried I’d changed so much that you...you wouldn’t want—”

He choked back a sob, unable to finish his sentence. Sorey frowned and leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. He placed a finger under Mikleo’s chin and tilted it upwards, willing Mikleo to look him in the eye.

“No matter how much you change, you’ll always be Mikleo to me.” He rubbed his nose against Mikleo’s and laughed softly. “You’ll always be _my_ Mikleo.”

Mikleo let out a watery laugh in response. “And you’ll always be my Sorey,” he breathed, leaning forward to rest his head against Sorey’s shoulder. Sorey brought an arm around Mikleo’s shoulders and pulled him closer.

“Welcome back,” Mikleo whispered, pressing a kiss against Sorey’s chest, right above his heart. Sorey let out a soft sigh of contentment.

“I’m home, Mikleo.”

**Author's Note:**

> The original comic involves Mikleo "shedding" the layers of his future and reuniting with Sorey in the hope of starting over. The second half of this fic was pure self-indulgence ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


End file.
